Merry Christmas from The Barra MacNeils!

Oakville and Welland Ontario Sold Out!

We are always excited to get the chance to perform in lovely venues. It’s even more rewarding when there’s not a seat empty in the house... not even room for a mouse!

Oakville has such beautiful homes, amazing decorations and a lovely downtown. Thanks so much for the great welcome!

Our soundman for the Ontario dates was none other then Welland’s Trevor Coppen. We brought him back to his hometown to visit his old school. Thanks for the great sound!

We were treated to a Christmas meal with turkey and all the trimmings. Delicious! The meal ended with traditional Christmas Crackers! We all received lovely paper crowns! Royalty for a day...hooray!

See you in the Maritimes

A lovely day in Charolottetown!

Back to Canada! It’s been quite a few years since we had the opportunity to be back

in Prince Edward Island for a Christmas show. It’s always a pleasure to play the

Confederation Centre in Charlottetown.

Our good friend Sherry Hogan surprised the band with a lunch at The Culinary Institute.

New Chefs from around the world attend Holland College to expand their culinary skills

and we were lucky enough to sample some of their creations! They offer meals year

round but this time of the year is extra special because of their popular Christmas Buffet.

We want to send out special thanks to our server from Cape Breton. We heard it was her

first day and we were so impressed with her attention to detail… a lovely experience.

This show was a late addition to the tour. Thanks so much for the great turn out and all of

the help to get the word out on such short notice. We definitely want the opportunity to

play the island again soon!

The Skye Theatre Performing Arts Center in South Carthage, Maine is a

real wilderness getaway. Perched on the top of a hill overlooking a

breathtaking mountain range makes this theatre a perfect place for a

Christmas show.

The theatre is fully outfitted with pine walls and hardwood floors with

lovely decorations for the season. It has a rustic feel that includes a

wood stove on the stage…and that’s not the best part!

The audience is one of the most excited crowds we have seen in a while!

From start to finish, they were fully engaged in the concert with singing,

stomping, and clapping. Phil MacIntyre has brought Celtic culture to

Maine and has a loyal following that supports his newfound musical

spirit. Thanks so much Phil!

We’d also like to thank Pam for the wonderful selection of chocolates that

were left in our dressingroom.

See you soon America! Back to our home and native land tomorrow!

Back in Unity!

It’s great to be back in Unity! It’s been two years since we played the Unity College Center for Performing Arts, a cozy environment for a concert.

The band was treated to a wonderful meal of enchiladas topped off with homemade pie. Is this America or what! Thanks to the staff for making our stay so enjoyable.

A shout out to Sue from Maine for the lovely baking! Hello to Judy! See you all soon!

Hello America!

This year, The Barra MacNeils are taking some of their Christmas

cheer to America. Our first show was this evening in

Williamstown, Massachusetts at the Sterling and Francine Clark

Art Institute.

Our drive through the mountains was very exciting! The wildlife

was out in full force with a highway welcoming by a deer and a

skunk…two close calls. They really shouldn’t play on the

highway. ;)

Williamstown was having their annual Christmas celebration

weekend. Tonight they had their Holiday Walk and Tree Lighting

Ceremony before our concert. The lovely old university town was

very festive.

The audience was filled with enthusiasm the entire show. They

even let out a gasp during an acrobatic move by Sheumas. His

piano stool collapsed between numbers. Luckily he was okay.

After the show, we talked to new fans and even some people who

attended the show in 2004. Thanks for the support! Special hello

to the Big Beach Crew who travelled two hours to see the show!

Next stop Unity, Maine! See you there.

Starting the Christmas Tour 2011

Hello and welcome! Here we are on another Christmas tour sponsored by our friends at Scotiabank . Our first show took us to Port Hawkesbury, Cape Breton. It was nice being close to home.

The first day of a tour is always a memory game for all of the family members. Everything from remembering our lines to remembering all our instruments and technical equipment means that we all have to dust off the old noggins for another festive year.

Everyone was in seasonal spirit today from beginning to end. We added some new numbers to the show and of course, will be playing some of the tried and true selections for our fans.

Speaking of fans, a family travelled all the way from the West Coast of Newfoundland to see our show! We thank you for the great effort in getting to the show and the enthusiasm afterward at the meet and greet.

Don’t forget to try the cookie recipe that we posted previously on our blog. Tell us how they turned out.
Stay tuned for more tour updates! See you soon!